Fireplace FAQs

Dedicated to bringing homeowners the best wood fireplace inserts by pairing quality craftsmanship with the latest technology, Enviro and Regency are two of the most trusted, high-quality brands in the industry. Some of the benefits of choosing a Regency or Enviro fireplace insert are:

• Stop drafts.
• Provide warmth of a wood fire without the waste associated with a traditional open fireplace.
• Provides more complete combustion, causing longer burn times (up to 10 hours), increased heat, and less waste.
• Highly efficient, clean-burning appliances approved by the EPA.
• Produce significantly lower emissions than traditional fireplaces, resulting in cleaner air and a healthier, cleaner environment.
• Distribute heat evenly throughout your home.
• More affordable than a full fireplace rebuild.

Other features of an Enviro or Regency wood fireplace insert include: radiant ceramic glass, cool-to-the-touch handles, and easy-to-control adjustable heat, resulting in higher efficiency and lower heating bills.

Whether your space is large or small, wood fireplace inserts make great zone heaters for your home. Regency and Enviro wood fireplace inserts are capable of heating large spaces up to 3,000 square feet.Enviro boasts efficiency levels upwards of 80%, while Regency wood fireplace inserts have similar efficiency levels at 70%. Available in a variety of styles, you should be able to find the right fit for you, whether your style is classic or contemporary.

Factory built fireplaces are metal and refractory brick fireplaces that are designed to operate in conjunction with a U.L. tested metal chimney system. Unlike fireplace inserts, factory built fireplaces are not retrofitted into existing masonry fireplaces. Because factory built fireplace systems are prefabricated or built in the factory, they have some advantages over masonry fireplaces.

Some of those advantages are:

• You don’t have to worry about hours and hours of labor and construction by a mason inside of your home, which can be costly and disruptive.
• Factory built fireplaces are designed and manufactured, so you know what your fireplace will look like before it is installed in your home.
• Factory built fireplaces are typically built of lightweight materials designed to resemble your favorite stone or brick. Since these materials are lightweight, factory built fireplaces can be installed in rooms that don’t have the footing to support the weight of a masonry fireplace.
• Factory built fireplaces are typically more efficient than traditional open fireplaces.
• You don’t have to worry if you don’t have a masonry chimney, because factory built fireplaces are U.L. tested to work with a prefabricated chimney.

However, there are some advantages masonry fireplaces have over factory built fireplaces, like length of service life. Although factory built fireplaces are typically more affordable than masonry fireplace construction, masonry fireplaces can last decades when well cared for, while factory built fireplaces will need to be replaced at some point.

Factory built fireplaces are more like ovens, dishwashers, and other appliances you expect to replace, because they are made of metal components susceptible to rust and part failure. On average, factory built fireplaces last 20-30 years when well-maintained. Typically these systems are replaced rather than repaired because it can be difficult, if not impossible, to find replacement parts, especially if the manufacturer is no longer in business.

Our team of professionals has been installing and maintaining factory built fireplaces for years and has seen the different levels of quality and craftsmanship out there.We’re proud to offer our customers Superior factory built fireplaces, which are just that – superior. You’ll enjoy more flames per BTU, faster installation, and reduced emissions with Superior factory built fireplaces. Superior offers both gas and wood-burning fireplaces in a variety of styles and designs from modern see-through or multi-view units, to beautiful stone styles, or plain and simple classic units. Whatever you’re after, we’ll help you find the perfect factory-built fireplace for your space.

Installing a new factory built fireplace by yourself is not encouraged. These systems are only U.L. tested and approved as safe when they are installed and used exactly as intended by the manufacturer. For your safety, the manufacturer’s instructions MUST be followed to the letter. Professional installation is typically required, as well, if you want your warranty to be honored.

A gas fireplace insert is a UL-listed gas appliance and liner system that’s fitted and installed into an existing fireplace. A gas fireplace insert is classified as a room heater, whereas a traditional open fireplace is considered a decorative appliance. Heat-wise, you can expect more from your fireplace insert. If you’re looking for a hearth appliance that will really ‘pack a punch’ and provide great zone heating without compromising the environment or your indoor air quality, a gas fireplace insert may be the right thing for you. At All American, we proudly offer our clients Valor direct vent gas inserts. What makes these so great?

A Valor direct vent appliance is rightfully known as a “smart fireplace.” Installing one of these appliances is one of the smartest decisions you can make when upgrading your hearth. Unlike traditional open fireplaces, the Valor direct vent fireplace pulls air from outside of the home through an engineered flue system. The air is fed to the fireplace for the combustion process and then siphoned back up the chimney and vented outside. Because there is never a point where combustion products enter the home, this is referred to as a sealed system.

These inserts are the perfect option for those with sensitivity to fumes produced by a traditional open fireplace or those who may be having functionality issues with their existing fireplace system. Some of the key benefits of Valor direct vent gas fireplace inserts:

• They’re much more efficient than traditional or vent-free fireplaces.
• They protect the integrity of the indoor air quality by keeping combustion products out of the air supply.
• They don’t use your conditioned indoor air for combustion, so you aren’t funneling money up your chimney.
• They don’t require you to have a window open in the room they’re installed in when in use, while vent-free appliances do.
• They can run for 24 hours a day if needed, while a vent-free appliance can only run for 2 hours max.

Valor direct vent gas fireplace inserts are great zone heaters, because they can be used to heat spaces up to 2,000 square feet. Why heat your entire home when you could simply heat the area you are currently occupying? By using your direct vent gas fireplace insert to achieve zone heating, you could see a significant reduction in your home’s heating expenses.

With a Valor direct-vent gas fireplace insert, you’re taken care of in the event of a power outage. These “No Power, No Problem” smart fireplaces operate on battery power, which can provide up to 36,000 BTUs of emergency heat. Valor fireplaces have engineered natural convection, the process of heat rising and leaving the heat source as cold air comes into the heat source. This cold air enters through the bottom, filters through the convective heat chambers, and cycles out into the home as warm air, with no noisy fan required and no electrician needed. Valor units are designed with neo-ceramic glass, which provides radiant heat much like when sunlight enters through a window and lands on your skin. You wouldn’t enjoy this benefit with a builder-grade unit as Builder-grade units typically have tempered glass.